State Rep. McMillin draws ire for saying being gay is a choice

State representative for the 45th District Tom McMillin is under attack by some Rochester Hills residents after making a public comment about homosexuality being a lifestyle choice.

At a September Rochester Hills town hall meeting, McMillin was asked if he thought being gay was a choice and his response, which was recorded on video, has since raised some eyebrows around Rochester Hills.

“Well, I think that the thousands of people that have been in that lifestyle and come out would say that it was their choice when they were in and came out of the lifestyle,” McMillin, a Republican, said at the meeting.

Tim Maurer, a longtime resident of Rochester Hills and homeowner, was the person who decided to ask McMillin the questions at the meeting. He said the questions stemmed from a McMillin quote in a 2003 news story in The Detroit News that talked about his support for a resolution for banning same-sex couple marriages.

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In the story, McMillin said, “I think that the people who are caught up in the homosexual lifestyle need help. We encourage people to stop smoking. This resolution is the same sort of thing.”

Wanting to know if McMillin’s views had relaxed, Maurer asked if he still believed individuals could quit being gay like you can quit smoking, and that’s when McMillin responded saying he thinks it is a lifestyle choice.

The Oakland Press reached out to McMillin regarding the recorded comment he made at the town hall meeting, and a representative from his office responded to the resident’s concerns with an email statement saying he thinks some people are trying to drive attention away from all of the victories and success he has had while in office.

“A few liberals clearly want to take the focus off what we’ve been accomplishing,” McMillin said in the statement. “I have had numerous office hours across my community and overwhelmingly the issues I hear from constituents at these events are things we’ve accomplished in the Legislature — reforming education, improving the economy and making Michigan a better place to have a job. There is more work to be done and I’m committed to moving Michigan forward.”

Rochester Hills resident and local political activist blogger Bruce Fealk believes McMillin’s views are extreme, but said these type of comments are typical of him. He was the person to film McMillin’s response.

“I just think it’s outrageous, I can’t believe in this day in age, we have a man this radical,” Fealk said.

Also creating a stir among meeting attendees was McMillin’s response on if he thinks gays can change and become heterosexual.

“I think folks are still saying, like I’m saying I think there’s tens of thousands that have been in (the lifestyle),” McMillin said at the meeting.

He continues by referencing Anne Heche, an actress and Ellen DeGeneres’ former partner who says she is now straight. McMillin said he does not know if people are born gay.

“I believe there are statistics to show that (gay people can change),” McMillin said at the meeting.

Ferndale-based nonprofit organization Affirmations works to serve people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Affirmations Executive Director David Garcia responded to McMillin’s town hall meeting comments.

“Being gay is no more a choice than being straight. Mr. McMillin continues to show the same ignorance and bigotry that has lead to his being named to Michigan’s LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Community Center’s, ‘Equality Rights Hall of Shame,’ ” Garcia said. “Even if a person’s sexual orientation were a choice, which it is not, there is no doubt your religion is and it is a choice protected under the Constitution of the United States. Unfortunately, Rep. McMillin needs yet another reminder that all Michigan citizens are created equal and deserve equal protection under the law — gay or straight — choice or no choice.”

Although Fealk said there is no hard scientific evidence about what makes a person gay, he doesn’t believe being homosexual is a lifestyle choice.

“The overwhelming evidence shows it is not the case that people choose to be gay,” Fealk said. “It’s a ridiculous statement he made, but it’s in line with the other things that he’s said.”

In Michigan, LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) isn’t a class, which allows for discrimination. Many communities have made ordinances to combat the discrimination against LGBT individuals.

The amendment introduced by McMillin states, “the state agency or unit of local government shall not adopt any ordinance, rule, regulation or policy that includes, as a protected class, any classification not specifically included as a protected class under this act.”

Bill 5039 would forbid local government to create laws that would protect LGBT individuals from discrimination in housing, public accommodations and employment.

Fealk said McMillin dodges questions about his support for Bill 5039, and he won’t specifically say if he supports it, though he was the one to introduce it. He and other members of the community don’t doubt his support for the bill.

Linda Davis-Kirksey, a Rochester Hills resident of 25 years and a chairwoman for a group called Rochester Hills Together, an organization and Facebook group, which has about 200 members. The group formed in February to oppose McMillin’s bill.

Maurer said the group is currently trying to get a community human rights ordinance together to protect the Rochester Hills LGBT community.

The bill is currently in the Judiciary Committee, but is not on the immediate agenda, according to a representative from Committee Chair state Rep. John Walsh’s office. The agenda is tentative, and could change in the future. There are hundreds of other bills in the committee, some of which take priority over something like this.

“It was his (McMillin’s) bill, but I think it is buried in committee,” Davis-Kirksey said. “I don’t think it has gotten any support.”

The Rochester Hills City Council previously denied a human rights ordinance, Maurer said. Rochester Hills City Council President Greg Hooper, along with other council members have previously said it should be dealt with at the state level — Fealk and McMillin also agree on that.

The other issues with McMillin have been brought to the attention of the council and mayor, Maurer said. Some board members see the issue, while Maurer said he thinks some members are in support of him, or just afraid.

Hooper declined to comment on the statements McMillin made at the town hall meeting.

Rochester Hills Together has also made it their mission to protect the Rochester Hills name.

“It makes us look like a city you hear about in the headlines, when you hear about the city, you relate it to discrimination,” Maurer said. “I don’t want to be associated with that kind of hate.”

Davis-Kirksey, though not at the meeting where McMillin made the comments, said she has had a long history with him because she is highly active in local politics. She said McMillin does not paint a clear representation of the Rochester Hills community.

“He is absolutely clueless — this man is so involved with practices and beliefs ... his statements are absolutely ridiculous,” Davis-Kirksey said. “(These comments) reminds me of something going back 100 years.”

She does not think McMillin is a good representation of Rochester Hills, and his views just create problems.

“He is not a true representative of the people and I don’t respect his opinion ... this individual has no business being a representative in our community,” Davis-Kirksey said.

Davis-Kirksey said she believes McMillin’s views make him a “dangerous individual.” With all of the bullying in recent years, his views could make things worse.

“He makes it his life mission to cause grief and problems to those people who don’t have a voice of their own,” Davis-Kirksey said. “... this is America, and we should not be creating barriers.”

Contact Megan Semeraz at 248-745-4628 or e-mail Megan.Semeraz@oakpress.com or follow her on Twitter @MeganSemeraz.